The second round of the NBA playoffs has ended and it is time for the Conference Finals. There are four teams left, the Cavaliers and Celtics in the East and the Rockets and Warriors in the West. During the regular season, the Cavaliers under-performed due to a lot of drama involving some of their players. However, LeBron and his team have turned things around in the playoffs, completely dominating the Raptors and winning the series 4-0. Commenting on the Cavs continuing their dominance,  Ricky Sullivan, a Lafayette High School student,  stated, “LeBron always finds a way to make things happen. I think they will easily get past the Celtics since they are without their key players, however I think he could run into some trouble in the finals since his team isn’t as stacked as the remaining Western Conference teams.”

The Boston Celtics were early favorites for the trophy since they added two new key players, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Heyward. Heyward suffered a gruesome leg injury in the first quarter of his first game with the Celtics and was out for the season. Kyrie was sidelined at the end of the season with a knee injury and will miss the playoffs.  However, the Celtics still made it past the first two rounds of the playoffs. In the first round, they had to play all seven games to get passed the Milwaukee Bucks. Next they had to play the red hot 76ers. They blew by them, winning the series in 5 games. With all their injuries, the Celtics still managed to make it to the Eastern Conference finals.

In the Western Conference, the Warriors have always been the dominant team, winning two out of the last three NBA Finals. With a team full of superstars, it’s hard to see them not winning it all over again. In the first round, they faced off against the San Antonia Spurs without their star point guard, Steph Curry. However, in the second round against the New Orleans Pelicans, Steph Curry made his playoff debut in the second game, bringing his team to victory. With an overflow of talent, the Warriors easily finished off the Pelicans in five games. They finished the regular season with the second seed behind the Houston Rockets.When asked if Warrior fans should worry about the Western Conference finals, Ricky exclaimed, “I don’t think they need to worry at all. No one on the Rockets can guard Durant so I think he will have a great series. They also pass the ball well and have great chemistry because they have been together for a while, unlike the Rockets.”

The Houston Rockets acquired a big time player in the offseason, which helped them become a dominant team. They already had James Harden as their star, but the addition of Chris Paul was a great compliment to Harden’s style of play. This dynamic duo really hit it off and is the main reason why the Rockets were the dominant team in the West. They finished the season with the one seed, surprisingly ahead of the Warriors. They played the Timberwolves in the first round and won the series in five games. Next, they faced off against Utah Jazz who were running through teams thanks to Donovan Mitchell. Despites Mitchell’s contributions the Rockets ended up winning the series in 5 games. The Rockets play the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, and this series is up for grabs. Look for this series to go all seven games.

As far as predictions go, the Cavaliers are probably going to beat the Celtics because of LeBron’s experience. He has been to seven consecutive Eastern Conference Finals. However, the West is completely up for grabs. Overall, whoever wins the West will win it all just because the teams are stronger and more of a unit.